


Watch Your Mouth

by bigirlgiggles



Category: In the Heights - Miranda
Genre: Bad Spanish, Cousins, Fluff, Latin, Swearing, Tickling, cursing, sonny has a bad mouth, sonny is also growing up and its a little scary, tickle fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 12:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13294785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigirlgiggles/pseuds/bigirlgiggles
Summary: sonny's growing up, and he's got the vocabulary to prove it.





	Watch Your Mouth

**Author's Note:**

> i’ve been dying to write something for In The Heights for months, so i finally knocked this out in one sitting. i also realized just how poor my spanish is while writing this, so plenty of double checking went into it. enjoy! comments and kudos appreciated,as always.

“Y’know, some think of it creepy to stare.”

Usnavi rolled his eyes, making a face at his younger cousin’s remark as he poured himself his second cup of coffee for the morning. The morning rush had ended, so he settled for sitting on his stool behind the counter and simply people watching, observing the busy New Yorkers as they rushed to get where they needed to be in the heat. “Mind your own business,Sonny.You’ve got work to do.”

“I am.I’m sweepin’,can’t deny it.”Sonny tapped the old broom in his hands to the floor, shrugging. “I can sweep and watch you drool over Vanessa.I’ve got talent like that.”

“Smart-mouthed and talented.”Usnavi rose his paper coffee cup to his mock toast, sipping it. “Leche?”He turned to the machine behind him to make Sonny a cup of coffee, bending down to the fridge to open another carton of milk.

“Nah, I’ll make it.”Sonny hooped up behind the counter, the broom leaning against the glass case.

“No, no, no,”Usnavi shooed him away, placing his coffee down.”The rush is over, you gotta finish cleaning, papa.Did you eat?”

“Yeah, on the way here.”

“A Ho-Ho isn’t eating,Sonny.”Usnavi clicked his tongue, already taking a roll off of the shelf above the stove.”What do you want?The usual?”

“Bacon, egg and cheese, mucho queso.”Sonny dug in his pocket for money, dropping some change on the counter.”Two seventy five?”

“Just the coffee, one twenty five.” Usnavi started to hum an old, familiar boléro as he placed the roll face down on the stove to heat up, cracking eggs beside it. “Did you see Abuela Claudia this morning?”

“Yeah, coming back from her walk.”Sonny answered, attempting to hold the dustpan with his foot.

“How did she look?”Usnavi folded the slices of cheese into the eggs, trying to keep his tone light.

“She looked fine, cuz.”Giving up on his innovative ways,Sonny leant down to start brushing the dust into the pan properly.”Really. Just a little tired.Old people are always tired, they’s lived forever-”

“Sonny, callate, don’t let me hear you say that in front of anybody.”Usnavi scolded the teenager without looking at him, placing his food on a paper plate. “Comida aquí, cometelo.”

“It’s so hot in here.”Sonny complained, hopping up to walk behind the counter. “Gimmie the stool, at least.”

“We’ve got a fan, stop your whining.”Usnavi played with the plastic lip of his coffee cup lid, looking over his younger cousin closely as he perched himself on the old wooden stool. He wasn’t the little kid that used to drag Usnavi down to the stoop to play in the hydrant spray anymore. He was old enough to drive, nearly old enough to vote, and—bless his father’s soul, nearly old enough to drink legally. Considering the circumstances, Usnavi had done pretty well helping raise his younger cousin, playing the part of big brother as well as near father figure for the kid. Abuela Claudia helped immensely of course, keeping him in line and in school when Sonny’s mother was busy working any one of her three jobs. Usnavi couldn’t be prouder that he hadn’t turn out to be one of those street punks, pants sagging and a mouth that ran him into trouble.

“Hey,yo,cuz?”The teenager’s eyebrows knit together as he took another hefty bite of his breakfast. “What the hell are you lookin at? You seeing ghosts or something?”

“Yeah, the ghost of the sweet little kid who didn’t mouth off as if it was the end of the world when I asked him to sweep.”Usnavi smirked as he sipped from his cup.”What happened to him?”

“He’s a man now.”He swallowed his last bite of his sandwich before flexing his arms in the typical strong man pose. “Even stronger than you.What are you benchin, huh?Two gallons?”

“Yeah, two gallons in one hand and you in the other.”Usnavi squeezed Sonny’s tricep gently, chuckling to himself as Sonny yanked away. “Que es esto, calaca? You good?”

“Knock it off!”Sonny yelped, trying to clamp his arms to his sides. “Let me eat in peace, damn!”

“Why? You said you’ve got muscle,I wanna see it.” Usnavi stepped toward his cousin and grinned. “What’s wrong,Domingo? Oh, don’t tell me you’re still ticklish!”

“I’m not!”Sonny huffed much like a child, crossing his arms. He held his arms close to his sides, attempting not to flinch or crack a smile as Usnavi poked at his waist. “Coño, cut it out!”

“Ay, that’s a bad word.Quarter in the swear jar!”

“You shattered the last fu-freaking swear jar!”Sonny stopped himself from swearing again, making a weak attempt at grabbing Usnavi’s wrist.

“That’s fine.I guess you’ll just have to pay some other way.” Usnavi hummed, pretending to think as he kept poking his cousin, sidestepping to block his route of escape from behind the counter. “I’ve got it!”

“I’m not w-working no extra hours, cuz, don’t even try it-”

“Nope!”Usnavi grinned as he scribbled his fingers over Sonny’s stomach. “Even better! Tickle tax! No extra work for you!”

“You suhuck!”Sonny squealed, laughing loudly as Usnavi wiggled his fingers over his sides. His knees buckled under him as one of his older cousin’s hands crept up his side to his ribs and he collapsed to the floor with Usnavi following him down. Usnavi remembered nights when he would babysit Sonny, even when he was little Sonny was just as mouthy. The only way to get him to stop swearing and making smart comments was to tickle him to bits, and even then it took a bit of convincing. Luckily, Usnavi didn’t forget just how to make him give in quickest.

“You’ve got five seconds, kid.”Usnavi warned, scratching at Sonny’s sides.

Between his high pitched fits of giggles Sonny managed to ask, “U-until wh-what? You st-stohahap?”

“Nope, until your last chance to apologize is gone!”

“And then whahat!”

“Five,”

“I haven’t even done anythihihing!”

“Four,”He sat on his cousin’s waist, managing to keep the teenager down even as he struggled. He kept a mental note that Sonny was, in fact, much stronger than he remembered.

“Ay,Usnahavi!Bahastaha!”

“Three!”Usnavi’s warning tone made Sonny squirm even more, and Usnavi grinned as he managed to pin one of his cousin’s wrists above his head.

“Don’t you dahare!”

“Two-last chance,Sonny!”Usnavi scribbled his fingers down the teenager’s side and back up again to wriggle under his arm. Sonny howled with laughter, squeezing his eyes shut as Usnavi tickled him mercilessly.

“Fine!”Sonny squealed, eyes squeezed shut. “I’ll apologize! Hoholy crap, stop!”

“Oh, don’t act like I was killing you.”Usnavi laughed and moved off of his cousin, standing up beside him and reaching a hand out to help him up. “I believe you owe me an apology?”

“You owe me an apology for attacking-“Usnavi wiggled his fingers at his cousin and Sonny yelped, “lo siento!”

“Apology accepted. Just promise me you’ll watch your mouth when there’s customers?”Usnavi asked, handing Sonny his dirty plate to discard.

“We live in New York!”Sony scoffed, “People swear for everything-fine, fine,I’ll watch my mouth.”

The bell above the door chimed, signaling someone entering the store. Usnavi looked over to the front of the store, greeting Daniella with a smile as she strolled in as she fanned herself with a magazine,Vanessa following behind her.”Good morning, ladies.”

“What happened to him?”Daniella rose an eyebrow as she spotted a red-faced Sonny carrying a box of chips to the display.

“Usnavi attacked me.”Sonny answered bitterly, earning a light laugh from Vanessa and a snort from Daniella.

“We’ve all told you to watch your mouth.”Vanessa made a face at Sonny as she placed two bottles of water on the counter and he rolled his eyes.

Usnavi nodded in agreement with Vanessa as he rang up their purchases.

“He picked it up from you and Benny,Usnavi. Lemme get a Kit-Kat, hijo?”Daniella dug in her purse for a few dollars. “Ay, carajo, where’s the damn singles?”

“I have them.”Vanessa looked at Sonny as he stocked the display then shared a look with Usnavi, the two of them shaking their heads. “He picked up the words in English from Benny, but you and Usnavi have taught him every nasty word in Spanish,Dani.”

“As long as he doesn’t use them in front of Claudia,”Daniella rose her eyebrows at Sonny, taking the black plastic bag Usnavi handed her. “a colorful vocabulary is nothing to be ashamed of.”


End file.
